1st Grow - CFLs 6500K + LEDS - Mini Grow Closet

After much research from this and many other sites (including OG), I have decided to take a shot at growing my own plants.

I have an old mini closet that i will be using to start off with, once i feel that i am able to grow healthy happy plants i will look into setting up a bigger grow area at my house.

I will be using 4 CLFs (3 26w daylight 6500k, 1 30w Reddish orange) Plus 4 LED Panels. I ordered them a few days ago from High Tech Garden Supply they should be here tomorrow....

I have put together a quick setup that will have a small chamber in which i plan to start clones and seedlings and a larger Vegetation/flowering chamber that i hope is big enough for a decent yield, just to support my own personal consumption .

I already understand that i will probably not having any amazing results with the current setup, especially due to the limited head space for the plants, I just plan to do the best with the space i have available.

Any input is all good with me, just remember i am a complete beginner..

Box Setup

Top - 2 CLF 26W,
1 12V computer blower,
1 Desk Fan,
2 open ports (possible intake fans will be added)
1 LEDs Panel (coming soon) mounted at top.

Middle - Timers, Power Strip, Cords

Bottom - 1 26W & 1 30W CLF ( i figured having 1 cool and 1 warm wouldnt hurt.)
2 large CPU exhaust fans,
1 mini intake fan,
1 blower with mini homemade carbon scrubber exiting box.
3 panels of LEDs (coming soon) mounted top,left and right sides.

I have been forced to use foil which i now sucks but mylar is the hardest f**ing paper to get in the world...i am still looking.

I also am in search of a moisture meter and PH meter.

Seed - Bagseed from a surprising good sac i picked up a few weeks ago. I will order better seeds soon.

I germinated using a mini tupperware bowl filled with water and kept warm, once seed cracked (2 1/2 days) I placed it 1/2 inch under scott potting mix and kept under clfs 18/6 with a little peice of plastic wrap over pot. i will take off soon as leafs are starting to show.

i have to still figure out how i plan to feed them after the next 2 weeks pass, i have no idea about nutes and how to use them... ive been watering with plain distilled water via mister bottle.

temp at night is 79 F 38% hum on bottom and 82 F on top, i am worried about the heat rising during the day i will set the meter to record the hottest temp to make sure it dosent fry.....summer is going to be hell...

i am just going to put up some pics i took tonight if i can if not i will add them later, i have work tomorrow and need to get some sleep....

LEDS arrived today! I just finished hooking them up.

Todays the temp got a little high while I was at work.


Highest temp during the day:
Top: 104 F
Bottom: 94 F (62% humidity)

My original plan was to have LEDS and CFL’s running together however it looks like the heat is too hard to keep under control, I may just have the CFL’s turn on for a few minutes throughout the day.
The dirty was very dry when I got home so I sprayed it a few times with the spray bottle. So far so good, the plant looks good as far as I can tell.
I will order some good seeds tonight or tomorrow. Im just a little worried about the whole customs thing…

Damn these things can grow, Its a trip seeing this little thing grow soo much everyday.

The lights have been on 18/6 since planted and temps are at a much more comfortable range during the day.

here is the pictures of the meter

photo 1: highest temp
photo 2: lowest temp
Photo 3: current temp

I only use the CFL's for about an hour each day since they heat up the box like an oven, so i am going to try them 18/8 once i get rid of the foil.

My plant might be stretching but from what ive seen this is going to happen with LEDS no matter how close I keep the plant. The plant is lifted up to about 2 inches from the light every day.

I might be trying out a scrog grow since i have very limited space but i guess i will have to wait and see if i can get some more seeds in time. I also watered with a spray bottle full of distilled water.

careful running all that stuff off a single breaker.

oops.......

firebrand18rjr said:

careful running all that stuff off a single breaker.

Click to expand...

I definitly have too many items plugged in, I am going to move the box later to a diffrent part of my house with mutiple socks and running off a larger breaker once I get the box completed.

still thanks for the warning, good looking out.

Hi there...I think the aluminum foil may be your issue on the heat....I have had cfls in really tight places and didnt have that much problem with heat...if mylar isnt available you should always go with white as an alternative...the inside of that cabinet may not take paint well but Ive got an easy solution for you...easily found at walmart...white matte finish contact paper(try to avoid a real shiny white but a lil shiny white would be better than foil)...see the roll on the table..it has an adhesive backing and you may be able to do the whole cabinet with one good size roll for like 5 bucks...this is going to be found where the rubbermaid containers, trash cans etc are they are used as a drawer liner in kitchen drawers and cabinets so you could always do ask if you cant find it...once you get leaves the foil is going to put pin hole burns in your leaves....those cfls are your only hope dont bank on those leds...get some CONTACT PAPER tomorrow!

or somehow add a 20amp breaker to your panel and dedicate it just to your growing stuff. thats exactly what i just did today. pita!! but well worth not burning houses down . a 400w mh runs about 4-5 amps. 1000w mh about 12. fans and misc other about 5. always lookin out! peace

yea no aluminum foil. either take it off or get mylar or polywrap from a craft store. paint white when u have no other choice.

hey thanks pink! I had no idea my foil was so bad for the plant, I might try to find mylar or that poly wrap like firebrand said but i dont know any craft stores in the area, or else im going to head down to wal-mart to see if i can find any of that contact paper you recommended.

no major updates with grow, little tiny leafs starting to poke out now.
Temps have been good all day staying under 90.

my floros were left on for 5 hours tonight for a little extra light...

plants have been watered again today, i hope this isnt too much. I poked down about 1 inch and soil felt pretty dry, the plant seems to need water everyday.

dude . dont start that thinking that a little extra light will help. stick with a strict light schedule 18/6 or 20/4 . you keep deciding whether its good or not to give them more light and they will go crazy and youll have some problems. trust me . try hittin temps around 73-80

I came home from getting some white paper and found the plant laying on the dirt.....

Its not looking good at all, temp is 82 F, I also watered today which i think maybe the cause of this...

Any one know what i did wrong? can i recover the plant or should I just move on?

If the plant dies i will just setup the box with my contact paper and then order some new seeds.

I guess you were right firebrand, i think my floros jacked up my plant.. i was giving the plant about 3 hrs of my CFLs a day with the LEDs on for 18/6. so now i am just leaving the LEDs for 18/6.

do you have an suggestions for where i can get some good seeds for growing indoors?

if your going to walmart ask for emergency kits. inside those i think for like 2 bucks a pack you get emergency blanket which is pretty much like mylar. great deal for the cash . try it

ordered some lowryder seeds on monday, i am just waiting for them to arrive.

i have been working on my grow box for the last few days, i am putting up the white contact paper, then i will seal off the fan ports in the back of the flowering chamber so it has no light leaking in.

today i saw some jiffy seedling starters, i bought a 10 pack, i will use it with the new seeds and see if they get a better start.

DON'T USE THE JIFFY SEEDLING STARTERS, THEY STUNT PLANT GROWTH...Not my opinion, it is a fact, google it... Also Skip the contact paper and throw up an emergency blanket for 2 bux from walmart in sporting goods. Dont buy the kit just buy a single blanket I had to look for a bit but I found them... They are mylar, mylar will keep the temps down a few more degrees and reflect more than contact paper by 25%. 25% more light means tighter buds and more weight. Just hang it straight so u dont get hot spots and u will be happy. In small areas with minimal light avail. mylar is crucial!

Thanks Pasadenabri.
Its too late for my first seed, which is doing good in a jiffy right now. I do have three more seeds to germ and this weekend I may go buy a blanket.

I got ripped off from Amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com but the good news is i cut a deal with my dealer and have 2 good seeds and 2 that might sprout.

already planeted one seed and it sprouted in 1 day and shot up the next two days, so far so good. Now that im caught up to where i left off i can continue the grow.

photos will be posted tonight ............maybe tomorrow.
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18 / 6 one LED Panel only. will soon move to 3 panel area with better air movement.

March 31 - Germinated and placed in jiffy puck and surrounded with perlite.
my little girl is stretching but im not really concerned with that at this point...im going to germ my other seeds tonight.

I have a bag of vermiculite and perlite, i want to mix it with my scotts potting soil. Can any one help me with a good mix ratio? my option for pots are a 6 inch with about 16 inchs of height or 8inch pot with 14 inch height. any help will be appreciated.

mixed scotts potting soil with perlite and vermiculite. 6-2-1

I transplanted the jiffy sprout into pot and place in bottom chamber with better light, air flow and a fan blowing 24/7.

checked on other 3 snowcap seeds and they sprouted, not as much as this one did in one day, but they are definitely showing their root so i planted each into a jiffy and surrounded with perlite. (If i stunt the growth i will just avoid using them next grow.)

temps have been really good between 73-85 for the past week.

soil ph meter look like its at 7.5 if i am using it correctly. i hope this will not hurt my plant...i will check again tomorrow.

moisture level is dry, i only watered her a little bit since jiffy seemed moist during transplant. tomorrow i will test and then water if needed.

2 weeks
Plant is looking good after transplant!!

watered with 150ml distilled water. check with moisture level and it looks good down to about where the roots are at.

my 3 seeds have not pop up yet, but i expect them to any day now.